Tesla says it delivered 241,300 electric vehicles in the third quarter even as it wrestled with a global shortage of computer chips that has hit the entire auto industry.
The Palo Alto, California, company's sales from July through September beat Wall Street estimates of 227,000 sales worldwide, according to data provider FactSet.
Third-quarter sales rose 72% over the 140,000 deliveries Tesla made for the same period a year ago.
So far this year, Tesla has sold around 627,300 vehicles. That puts it on pace to soundly beat last year's total of 499,550.
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a note to investors that the pace of electric vehicle deliveries in the U.S. and China has been strong for the past month or so. That means an “eye-popping growth trajectory heading into 4Q and 2022 for (CEO Elon) Musk & Co.”
Still, Ives estimated that the chip shortage will knock 40,000 vehicles from Tesla's annual delivery number. He estimates the deliveries to be at least 865,000 vehicles, with a bull case of around 900,000.
“In a nutshell, with chip shortage headwinds, China demand still recovering from earlier this year, and EV competition coming from all angles, Tesla’s ability to navigate these challenges this quarter have been very impressive,” he wrote.
In the third quarter, the smaller Model 3 sedan and Y SUV led the way with 232,025 sales, followed by the larger Models S and X at 9,275. Tesla said it produced 237,823 vehicles for the quarter.
U.S. markets opened sharply lower on Friday on hotter-than-expected inflation data. The May CPI showed an 8.6% jump in consumer prices year-over-year, higher the expected 8.3%. Mark Howard, Senior Multi-Asset Specialist at BNP Paribas joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
U.S. stocks closed Friday at session lows after May CPI data showed inflation in the U.S. has not peaked and is still rising rapidly. For the week, the S&P fell 5.06%, the Dow lost 4.58%, and the Nasdaq dropped 5.60%, marking the worst week since January for all three major indexes. Mike Zigmont, Head of Trading and Research at Harvest Volatility Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Residents often have to wait on federal assistance after a disaster, but one group has a solution: hiring community members to help clean up and improve their neighborhoods. Resilience Force tackles two problems at once by creating jobs in response to growing climate-related disasters. LaTanja Silvester, director of New Orleans programming for Resilience Force, joins Closing Bell to discuss how the organization creates jobs in communities that need help and higher employment, the importance of creating a "green" workforce, and more.
Benefits brokerage, Nava Benefits, raised $40 million in a Series B round. Nava says it's on a mission to fix healthcare, one benefits plan at a time. The startup is working to bring benefits to small business that are normally available to only Fortune 500 companies. Brandon Weber, Co-Founder and CEO of Nava Benefits, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Yung Lim, CEO and Fixed Income Strategist at FolioBeyond, joined Closing Bell to discuss the May CPI report, as inflation is still red-hot going into a key decision from the Federal Reserve about interest rates.
Auction house Christie's will be presenting "Legacy of the GOAT," which will include a rare Michael Jordan signed rookie card and sneakers. Caitlin Donovan, the vice president of Christie's handbags and accessories department. joined Cheddar News to discuss the special memorabilia selection for the NBA great. "He's been a global phenomenon, so he's really shaped '90s culture and streetwear culture," she said. "And we see bidders from every pocket in the world."
Fuel and oil prices have risen almost 17 percent since May, making the national gas prices reach nearly $5 a gallon. Andrew Lipow from consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates joined Cheddar News to discuss the future of gas prices. "The biggest issue on the oil market is really events that are beyond our control, which is what is happening over in Europe," he said, regarding the ongoing Russia Ukraine war. Lipow also said he predicted gas prices to hit $5.05 and that he's focused on the Biden administration's overtures in repairing a relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Target made some headlines this week as the retailer slashed its prices due to excess inventory. Cheddar News anchors Kristen Scholer and Ken Buffa break down Target as the Stock of the Week.
The electric vehicle maker filed a proposal for a three-for-one stock split, increasing the accessibility of shares for investors for a stock trading at around $700 a share. The move comes not long after tech giant Amazon announced a 20-for-one split. The number of authorized shares rises from two billion to six billion. It was also revealed that board member Larry Ellison does not intend to stand for reelection as it pertains to Tesla.
